Heyday Television to Adapt Greg Howard's Queer Comedy Novel

Greg Howard's queer middle grade comedic novel, Middle School's a Drag, You Better Werk!, is getting the small screen treatment. The book - one of the first in the middle grade space to feature a drag kid - will be adapted for television by Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood and Marriage Story producer David Heyman's Heyday Television.

Published by Penguin Random House in February, the book follows 12-year-old Mikey Pruitt, president, founder, and CEO of Anything, Inc, who has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Inspired by his grandfather Pap Pruitt, who successfully ran all sorts of businesses from a car wash to a roadside peanut stand, Mikey is still looking for his million-dollar idea. Unfortunately, most of his ideas so far have failed. A baby tornado ran off with his general store, and the kids in his neighborhood never did come back for their second croquet lesson. But Mikey is determined to keep at it.

It isn't until kid drag queen Coco Caliente, Mistress of Madness and Mayhem (aka eighth grader Julian Vasquez) walks into his office (aka his family's storage/laundry room) looking for an agent that Mikey thinks he's finally found his million-dollar idea, and the Anything Talent and Pizzazz Agency is born.

The story follows the newly-out Mikey as he manages a whole roster of kid clients, prepares Julian for the gig of a lifetime, and navigates being openly gay at school. With its heartfelt story, lots of laughs and sass - and plenty of references to RuPaul's Drag Race, Middle School's A Drag, You Better Werk! has been praised by everyone from School Library Journal to Booklist for offering up a tale that's just as hilarious as it is life-affirming.

Born and raised in South Carolina before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, Howard spent years as a music producer before returning to his childhood passion of writing. His stories - young adult and middle grade novels - revolve around LGBTQ characters and issues.

"My focus is on writing for and about queer kids in the middle school space," says Howard. "I'm dedicated to giving those kids their Happily Ever Afters with books like I wish I'd had when I was young."

Howard also wrote the Edgar Award-nominated coming-of-age tale The Whispers, which is currently under option by Call Me By Your Name producer Peter Spears. Howard is represented by UTA and Brianne Johnson at Writers House. Heyday Television is represented by UTA.

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